History of State Bank of Travancore (SBT)

State Bank of Travancore (SBT) was a major Indian bank headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, and was a major associate of State Bank of India.

SBT was a subsidiary of the State Bank Group, but also had private share-holders. It was the premier bank of Kerala. Overall, as of 31 March 2015 SBT had a network of 1,157 branches and 1,602 ATMs, covering 18 states and three union territories.

On 15 February 2017, the Union Cabinet approved a proposal to merge SBT and four other associate banks with SBI. It finally merged with its parent bank on 31 March 2017.

SBT was established in 1945 as the Travancore Bank Ltd., at the initiative of Travancore Diwan C. P. Ramaswami Iyer. Following popular resentment against his dictatorial rule, the bank never credited his role. Instead, the Bank considered the Maharaja of Travancore Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma as the founder, though the king had little to do with the founding. Although the Travancore government put up only 25% of the capital, the bank undertook government treasury work and foreign exchange business, apart from its general banking business. Its head office was at Thiruvananthapuram. In 1960, it became a subsidiary of State Bank of India under the SBI Subsidiary Banks Act, 1959, enacted by the Parliament of India.

State Bank of Travancore continues to provide dedicated services to its customers, since 60 years of its establishment. The Bank boasts of using world class technology through the implementation of 100% Core Banking Solution (CBS). The 24 hours working exchange bureau of the Bank is located in Calicut, while its 8am-8pm branches are established in Kesavadasapuram (Trivandrum), Thrissur, Kaloor (Ernakulam) and Alwarpet (Chennai). According to the recent records, the total business of SBT, recorded is Rs. 66644 Crores and its NRI business of Rs.8755 Crores. 

Apart from commercial banking, SBT has also shown its active participation in social development, by offering credit to the priority sectors and the special schemes announced by the Government. SBT has lent as much as 40% of net bank credit to the priority sectors. The Bank plays a developmental role, by meeting the need-based requirements of the small scale industry, agriculture and small business. The branches of SBT located in the rural and semi-urban areas of the country have been catering to the needs of farmers. 

Branches And ATM Services
State Bank of Travancore marks its national presence in India, with a network of its 712 branches spread over 16 states of the country, out of which 580 branches are located in Kerala. The Bank boasts of providing easy access to money to its customers through its 389 ATMs throughout the country, with the largest ATM network in its home state. It is also a member of the largest ATM network in the country. In conjunction with the State Bank Group, SBT has introduced debit cards, enabled with Maestro and Cirrus. 

Products & Services Of SBT 
Personal Banking

• Deposit schemes
• Janapriya account  
• Personal finances 
• Public Provident Fund
• Reverse Mortgage Loan
• Special Housing  Loan Product 
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• Business Banking

• SME financing 
• MSME Care Centre
• Financing Trade & Services  
• Gold card for exporters
• Debt restructuring for SME
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• Social And Rural Banking

• Welfare Measures
• Agriculture Finance
• Micro Finance
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• Other Services

• NRI Services
• Insurance/MF/Credit Card   
• Demat Services
• Custodial Services
• International Debit Card   
• Pilgrim Service Center  
• E-payment of Taxes and Duties over Internet 
• Online Booking of Railway tickets and Online Bill Payments
• Multi-City cheques for Business Customers 
• Real Time Internet Banking Transaction 
• Transfer of Funds to Other Banks in India via NEFT & RTGS

Head Office 
State Bank of Travancore
Poojapura, 
Thiruvananthapuram - 695 012, Kerala, India
Phone: 0484 - 2351919
Website: www.statebankoftravancore.com